All Abilities to have an all-time experience

The chance of a lifetime for local footballer's courtesy of the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust All-Abilities football showcase.

By Ben Andonoudis

For many participants, the AFL Barwon All-abilities football showcase will mark their first experience of organised sport, played on the same ground where their idols competed just days earlier at GMHBA Stadium.

The exhilaration of tracing the footsteps of names like Bailey Smith, Jeremy Cameron and Tom Stewart is one that players and families have been eagerly anticipating.

Five years ago, opportunities were limited.

Now, the All-Abilities competition is firmly established in Geelong and players can run out at an AFL venue.

Having been a part of the league since its inception in 2023, St Joseph’s has seen the league’s showcase event provide a rare and meaningful opportunity for players.

For St Joseph’s All-Abilities football coordinator Nigel Brown, the chance for his players to be out on the hallowed turf of GMHBA Stadium is difficult to overstate.

Brown said the opportunity has left some players in, “total disbelief that they’ll get the chance to be able to play on their childhood hero’s ground.”

“They just talk about it all year round, he continued. "Parents get really excited about it."

This year sees the league introduce an exciting step forward with a non-contact division for the first time, providing more opportunities for a broader range of participants. 

Newcomb coach Graeme Boyd is a keen supporter of the non-contact division and felt it was much needed.

"We only noticed in the last two years that we have more and more players that needed to wear the (non-contact) vest," Boyd said.

“Once the season gets underway, parents and carers will see this as a safer approach”

The growth of the competition is also reflected in its expanding club base, with Newtown & Chilwell making their debut this year.

Eagles mentor and life member Nathan Braddock said the excitement around the club is building ahead of their first match.

Braddock said the response from the club community had been overwhelmingly positive, with strong attendance at a recent intra-club highlighting the excitement around the team’s debut.

"(The club) absolutely loves watching the boys go about their business, the smiles, the celebrations," he said.

It’s not just the players who have benefited, with Braddock also highlighting the personal fulfilment he has gained from the program.

“It’s been really exciting to make that dream a reality and to have these boys and these families come into our club and not only us teach them about football, but them teach us a lot about things as well."

Above all else, for Bell Park’s All-abilities coach Brett Campigli, it’s the people involved in the program that stand out for him - praising the "terrific, incredible people."

For Campigli, being a part of a footy club is “a great part of life...regardless of your ability, if you belong to a footy club and play a game, even better.”

At its core, the All-Abilities program is about more than football, it’s about connection, confidence, and ensuring everyone has a place within a club environment.

The AFL Barwon All-abilities football showcase will be held at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday, with matches from 2:30pm.

For the full fixture, CLICK HERE.

The showcase is supported by the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust.